By Moses Patience Chat
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Anti-Corruption Agency of Nigeria (ACAN) recently concluded a three-day sensitisation workshop on “Achieving Zero-tolerance for Corruption in the Workplace,”.
Declaring the workshop open on Day 1, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, commended ACAN and its parent body, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for extending the anti-corruption campaign to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He said the initiative was very welcome at NCDMB, which has signified its approval and support of the campaign by launching its own outfit known as NCDMB-Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU), which is a distinct unit and now functional.
The Executive Secretary, who was represented by the NCDMB Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Akintunde Adelana, pledged the continued support of the Board for the anti-corruption drive, while urging all staff to make the best of the workshop. Mr. Adelana doubles as Chairman of NCDMB-ACTU.
The ICPC Chairman, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, also expressed gratitude for the principled stance of NCDMB on zero-tolerance for corruption in the workplace and for support for the anti-corruption drive of the Commission. He recalled that earlier in the year, NCDMB-ACTU was fully involved in a similar one-week sensitisation workshop organized by the Commission in Abuja.
Represented by the Provost of ACAN, Professor Olatunde Babawale, the ICPC Boss lamented that “corruption is at the heart of the underdevelopment of the country” and would have to be combated effectively to give a new lease of life to the society.
According to him, “when corruption is taken out of the processes the industry is healthier and that would be to the good of the country.”
In his presentation on “Eradicating Corruption in the Workplace: A Behavioural Change Approach,” Professor Babawale noted that the country is in a dilemma because corruption has persisted despite the multiplicity of laws designed to curb it. According to him a new, complementary approach is required that targets social norms – “unspoken principles and collectively held beliefs.”
He encouraged societies to place emphasis on “norms that care about morals and integrity” and be unequivocal in condemning irresponsible acquisitive behaviour instead of adoring individuals whose sources of wealth are questionable.
Professor Babawale further urged public officials to avoid “favour reciprocation,” noting that it behoves everyone who stands for integrity “to create a cultural context in which corruption is not acceptable.”
At the seminar, staff were educated on the types and potential consequences of corruption as well as appropriate safeguards.